Last year, convenience store chain Circle K celebrated the grand opening of its largest U.S. store in Savannah, GA. The Augusta Group, a subsidiary of Tarheel Promotions, partnered with Approach Marketing for a promotional blitz of logoed items, social media engagement and traditional media outreach.

In the weeks leading up to the event, Circle K was profiled by local media such as the Savannah Morning News, Business in Savannah and South Magazine, earning an estimated 532,000 media impressions, The Augusta Group reported.

Additionally, local blog Gathering My Roses hosted a Circle K and Church’s Chicken giveaway to drive traffic to the new store. The Augusta Group designed and delivered invitations to over 100 local businesses, organizations and dignitaries. “We even had a street team walking around a one-mile radius handing out coffee and coupons to people in the community,” says Chuck Porter, managing partner of The Augusta Group.

The company also handled Circle K’s social media efforts, driving its Facebook audience engagement to a 203% increase in a 14-day campaign. Due to hyper-focused efforts such as geo-targeting and paid activation, the majority of people engaging with the Circle K Southeast page were predominately from Savannah, GA. Nearly 730,000 users were reached as Circle K shared event teasers, “on-location” photos, new products, mobile app-only offers and more captivating content.

During the grand opening ceremony, The Augusta Group outfitted employees with logoed polos and T-shirts as they handed out promotional products such as koozies, tote bags, cups and water bottles. On the street and throughout the parking lot, the company set up signage, balloons, tents and flags as customers filled up on swag, coupons and refreshments. There were also games, contests, music and family-friendly activities as well.

“The feedback from Circle K was unbelievable,” Porter says. “They came up with the ideas and we made it happen.”